Alternative Names

Sexing

Males have the red nose and are larger than females.

Tank compatibility

A peaceful shrimp that will not bother tank inhabitants. Do not keep with larger predatory fish.

Diet

These shrimp are scavengers and whilst they are consumers of algae, that is not their main food. They generally prefer fish food to algae, and will only resort to the latter if the former is unavailable.

Feeding regime

Supplementary feedings when necessary depending on the algae content and amount of excess fish food in the environment.

Environment Specifics

This Shrimp prefers planted aquariums. Slightly soft (GH 6-10dh) water is preferred (if the GH is too low they can't make their carapace). They are extremely sensitive to ammonia, nitrite and an excess of nitrate, and as such should only be added to a cycled tank. A small level of Iodine in the water is probably recommend to help them moult. This can be supplied via normal fish food or via typical health food shop Kelp tablets.

Behaviour

This shrimp likes to swim to get about. If you see your shrimps at the surface a lot then this is probably due to lack of oxygen, nitrite poison or high nitrate levels.

Approximately once a month (depending on diet, age, and environmental factors), the shrimp will moult. During this time, the shrimp will seek out a place to hide while its new shell hardens, for safety reasons. Many inexperienced aquarists jump to conclusions, assuming their unseen shrimp to have been eaten; these fears are short lived however, as they usually reappear after a few days.

Breeding

To breed these shrimp, salt water conditions are required for their fry as well as special feeding. Breeding of this species is considered fairly difficult.